The SAAQclic platform experienced new IT failures on Monday, with access problems widespread across the province. The Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec attributes the situation to “maintenance work” which should initially have ended during the night from Sunday to Monday.
At dawn, an automated message warned the user that the SAAQ was “currently optimizing its services” and that the platform would be back “shortly”. No service was therefore available online.
On the website, it was also claimed at this time that “additional delays” could be expected at the service point and on the telephone, recommending that users who do not have an appointment not to come to a branch.
By email, the SAAQ cautiously argued on Monday that several efforts are “being deployed to return to normal as quickly as possible”, certifying in passing that this outage will have “no impact on customer files” and data. that they contain.
“The delays associated with the maintenance work planned for the night of Sunday to Monday extended beyond the planned period, which led to the interruption of certain services,” specified spokesperson Geneviève Côté, refusing to give more details on the cause of this new failure. However, she said she was sorry “for the inconvenience that these delays may cause to some of our customers”.
Mme Côté maintains that certain services nevertheless remain maintained, such as practical exams and recognition of driving experience for the exchange of licenses, at service points. In call centers, you can also always have access to general information, compensation services or the help of road inspectors if necessary.
Disturbing findings
These new IT difficulties come a little more than a month after an independent report concluded that the SAAQ had “underestimated” the workload and the impact of its digital transition in February, which had caused long queues waiting times and a major digital fiasco, forcing the government to adjust. In the future, the organization is called upon to better manage “change management”.
The report, led by the firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), was also clear on the fact that “the incomplete and reactive management of authentication issues […] was known by the SAAQ and the Ministry of Cybersecurity and Digital Affairs in June 2022”, which Minister Éric Caire had refused to confirm in recent months. His office refused to answer our questions on this subject.
Despite everything, the SAAQ affirms that today, “in the vast majority of the Company’s service points, we have seen a return to normal since August 10.” Most of the issues “have been resolved,” the company said last month.
This essentially means that in the vast majority of branches, it is possible to obtain an appointment within 10 days or less, which is slightly faster than the Customer Services Statement commitment, which expects 20 days.